When I walk out on the bottom lands beneath my home in the hills of northwest Oregon, I am keen to take note of such troublesome invasive species as Nutria (or Copyu, Myocastor coypus), American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), and Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius). However as I’m doing so, I’m passing by a number of other invasives without giving them so much as even a passing glance. The reason being that I don’t recognize them as such.

Recent Reviews

Building a Sturdy FoundationJanuary 20, 2018One of the challenges of being a general naturalist – particularly a self-taught one – is that of establishing a sturdy foundation in all, or at least most, of the major areas of nature study. For those who undertake any formal, institutionally guided study in one of the fields, such a foundation is provided in […]

The Very Remarkable JourneyDecember 16, 2017Consider the following story: A young man, born and raised in the backcountry of Northeast Oregon, one day decides to leave his family and set out on foot in search of adventure. Over a period of months that stretches into years, he crosses the entire state, eventually crossing from Oregon into Northeast California. Roaming the […]

Lorax RedivivusDecember 10, 2017“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.” Thus said the Lorax, making his own introduction to the rapacious Once-ler in the classic 1971 book named for its title character by Theodor Seuss Geisel – Dr. Seuss. It’s a book I suspect most […]

You May Feel a Little PinchDecember 2, 2017The feeling was really more of being struck the being stung. Standing on the hillside behind our Oregon home, I must have been 15 or 16 years old. I was performing some chore my father has set me to – clearing weeds most likely as I was using hoe when the incident occurred. I remember […]

You Have to DigNovember 23, 2017Much like scents, flavors can have remarkable powers over our minds. Even a small taste of just the right flavor can, as Proust so eloquently described – at length – in his À la recherche du temps perdu, unlock a veritable treasure chest of memories. For myself, it’s the flavors from my childhood that seem […]